Entertainment® News

Entertainment® Drives Sales and Savings on Small Business Saturday

TROY, Mich., November 26, 2013 —Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become as much a part of the holiday season for bargain hunters as turkey and tinsel. However, according to Entertainment®, a leading provider of consumer discounts and promotions, it’s the Saturday between these two days known as Small Business Saturday that has many of its merchant partners and members buzzing.

Small Business Saturday, celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 30, 2013), is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country and was founded in 2010 by American Express. In 2011, the U.S. Senate officially recognized Small Business Saturday, and in 2012, consumers spent an estimated $5.5 billion on that day.

Entertainment® has been supporting small businesses for more than 50 years through its iconic Entertainment® Book Membership. During that time, the Company has helped merchants generate $75 billion as a result of its programs and consumers have saved more than $22 billion on the things they love to do every day. Today, tens of thousands of merchants depend on Entertainment® to help them grow their businesses, the majority of which are small, independently-owned businesses.

On Small Business Saturday or any day, Entertainment® members can support small businesses by using their Entertainment® membership to realize significant savings at local retailers and restaurants. Members experience discounts as high as 50 percent at many local businesses. These types of savings can help consumers stretch their dollars farther this holiday season.

Shoppers looking to maximize their savings on Small Business Saturday can plan their shopping trip in advance by consulting their membership to find merchants in their community with Entertainment® discounts available. Entertainment® discounts can be found in the Coupon Book, online at Entertainment.com or on the mobile app, creating even more opportunities to save on Small Business Saturday.

“Small Business Saturday reflects a ‘shop local’ sentiment that has been growing for many years as consumers look to support the merchants and businesses in their own communities,” said Lowell Potiker, CEO of Entertainment®. “Entertainment® has been providing small businesses with support since the company was founded at my parents’ kitchen table. Our unique business model helps consumers save, merchants grow, and communities benefit by encouraging local spending.”

Once selected, consumers can apply their Discount Dining Dollars to receive the discount of their choice by printing out a coupon.

The new mobile option gives customers the option to search for offers directly through their smartphone and to use the phone's geo-location abilities to find offers nearest to their current location. Mobile coupons can then be accessed and used immediately.

An Entertainment® Membership provides discounts at the places consumers want to shop for the holidays, offering savings at more than 250,000 locations nationwide including many local merchants offering savings on unique gifts that can’t be found at big box retailers. Available in 120 different city editions featuring hundreds of high-value discounts, 2014 Entertainment® Book Memberships can be purchased at www.entertainment.com, through a local fundraiser or retail partner, or by calling 888-231-SAVE (7283). All of the coupons available in the 2014 edition are valid through Dec. 30, 2014.

About Entertainment Corporate Marketing Solutions
Since 1962, Entertainment® (www.entertainment.com) has worked to improve local communities as the leading consumer discount, promotion and coupon provider in the United States and Canada. Released annually, the Entertainment® Book Membership supports both national and local merchants while helping consumers save money on restaurants, groceries, shopping, services, movie tickets, travel, car care and local sports attractions. With one of the largest merchant networks, Entertainment® makes it possible for consumers to save anytime, anywhere and any way they want with online, print or mobile redemption choices.

Fundraising programs from Entertainment® have helped schools and community groups raise more than $2.5 billion over the past 50 years. Its Corporate Marketing Solutions division serves Fortune 1000 companies by creating positive customer lifecycle engagement through value-added savings programs and incentives.